raw oysters2

Following good food safety habits can help protect you and your family from food illness. To keep your family safe from food illness, follow these four simple steps: clean, separate, cook, and chill:

TCS (Time/Temperature Control for Safety) food is a high risk food that requires specific time and temperature controls to remain safe for consumption. When cooling this type of food, the temperature must be reduced from 135°F to 41°F or lower - within 6 hours.

Ready to start grilling hamburgers? Bacteria is of special concern with ground beef - because when beef is ground - more of the meat surface is exposed to potential harmful bacteria. For this reason, ground beef must be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F, so as to kill all the bacteria and avoid foodborne illness.

Camping and hiking are great ways to exercise and appreciate nature. But they also create hunger - and food that is not packed properly and handled safely can create foodborne illness.

Raw chicken and poultry may contain harmful bacteria and washing it does not remove the bacteria. This bacteria can also be spread to other items and food - if proper procedures are not followed. The only way to kill bacteria on chicken is by cooking it to a safe internal temperature - as measured by a food thermometer.